


Where the Devils Are

by BrenanaBread



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, LadyNoir - Freeform, Ladynoir July, Pining, The Violet Eden Chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-01 11:46:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15142394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrenanaBread/pseuds/BrenanaBread
Summary: Ladybug and Chat Noir work tirelessly together to eradicate evil spirits in Paris as part of a secret group of magical beings known as Miraculous. As partners, they are forbidden from ever being together. Ladybug must control herself if she wants to continue protecting the city she loves, but she's no longer sure if it's worth the cost.For LadyNoir July 2018





	1. Patrol

**Author's Note:**

> "Hell is empty,  
> And all the devils are here."  
> -William Shakespeare

Ladybug’s toes curled around the edge of the roof she was perched on, crouched low, eyes searching. She had a hand on her yo-yo, thumb hovering over the “stop” button on its timer, 

brows crinkled in concentration.    
  
Her tongue traced along her lower lip, chapped from rushing through the chilled air. Her breathing had only just returned to normal from her own sprint, a sign that she would be able to see his light hair bouncing overtop buildings soon.   
  
The sky was mostly dark, only lit by street lamps and car headlights bouncing off the low-lying clouds, but her vision was sharp, body primed to jump into action without warning. Her free hand tapped idly against the building, occasionally chipping away at flecks of concrete.   
  
She heard him before she could see him. The rhythmic pattern of foot after foot on rooftop, followed by a period of silence and a heavy footfall when he leaped across an alley. She knew exactly how hard he would be breathing when he reached her side again, just as she knew how he’d swipe the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and then threaten to wipe it on her when she’d curl her lip up in disgust.   
  
She was agonizingly familiar with his every move, his every action. She knew which face he would make when he mentally pushed himself past his comfort zone in his workout. She knew how long he would wait to ask her what was wrong when she was in a bad mood. She knew he preferred kicking over punching because he didn’t like the feel of his nails digging into his palm. 

She felt like she knew almost everything about him. And he was just as familiar with her. They had to be. They were partners. Both bound together by the same magical force, both obligated to save the world, both fighting the loneliness that would otherwise threatened to consume them.

He took his final jump to her, winking as he landed on the roof and she stopped the time on her clock. He rolled out of his landing gracefully, striking a relaxed pose that was distinctly at odds with his rapid breathing.   
  
Ladybug looked down at the stopwatch before turning it to face him.   
  
“You did well, Chat. Three tenths of a second better than yesterday.”   
  
He arched his back, stretching his arms up over his head. “There’s always room for improvement,” he panted.   
  
She rolled her eyes at him. “Just take the compliment before I throw you off this building.”   
  
He smiled at her and cocked his hip playfully, waiting until he could mostly control his breath before speaking. “Well, someone’s feisty today.”   
  
“When will you learn,” she turned away from him, swaying her hips as she lightly stepped off the ledge and onto the flat part of the roof. “I’m feisty everyday.”   
  
“Fair enough,” he laughed.   
  
“So, can I assume you didn’t see anything on your run?”   
  
“Of course I didn’t see anything,” he scoffed. “Do you really think I’m so obsessed with competing with you that I’d run past someone in need just to prove I’m faster than you?”   
  
She shrugged her shoulders, widening her eyes and pressing her lips together in an overly innocent “how would I know?” gesture.   
  
He stuck his tongue out at her and she smiled.   
  
“We better log in our times with Master Fu before we forget them.”   
  
Chat yawned and dramatically fell onto his back. “But I’m  _ tired _ ,” he whined. “Don’t you ever just want to take a second and stare at the stars? Enjoy the breeze? Bask in this beautiful city we have the honor of protecting?”   
  
“What stars?” she asked incredulously.   
  
“I’m building the mood.”   
  
Ladybug sighed. “Chat, we don’t have the luxury of taking our time and lounging around. We have to get back to Fu.”   
  
“Why? So he can tell us he feels dark forces rising all around us  _ again _ ? That he knows evil is on the horizon? So he can make us spar a few more thousand times until we’re so sweaty we can’t walk through his kitchen without falling on our asses?” Chat lifted himself onto his forearms to look at her with more intensity. “All I’m asking is for a moment of reprieve. A second to forget about all of….this.”   
  
She wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged herself tightly, lowering her head so she didn’t have to look him in the eyes. “We  _ can’t _  forget about all of this.”   
  
One of the worst parts of knowing her partner so well was knowing the face he would make when she said things like that. “This is all we are,” she forced herself to continue. “Who we were before Ladybug and Chat Noir doesn’t matter. Those people don’t exist anymore.”   
  
She felt more than heard the shuddering breath he took. She always felt like she could feel his pain.   
  
“I’m sorry, Chat. This is our life.”   
  
“I misspoke,” he said slowly, but she knew he hadn’t. “We don’t need to forget who we are or what responsibilities we have.”   
  
She wanted to laugh. Fu constantly threw their “responsibilities” and “obligations” at them. It was so odd hearing them come from her partner when she knew how much he detested hearing it.   
  
“I just want to spend ten minutes--”   
  
She raised an eyebrow at him.   
  
“Five minutes,” he corrected “not trying to sharpen my fighting skills. Not thinking about attacking and killing. Just a few moments to sit with my partner. We don’t even have to talk. Just sit and kick our feet out over the edge of this building.” He ran a hand along the firm roof beneath him.   
  
If she was honest with herself, she’d admit that going back to Fu wasn’t the real reason she was fighting him so hard on this.   
  
She couldn’t trust herself around him.    
  
She’d wanted it to be fleeting. He and Fu were really the only people she ever spent any time around anymore, it was only natural for her to develop feelings for him.    
  
When they’d first learned they were partners, bonded by ancient magic, they were told they would become the closest friends. They’d feel like family, like siblings.    
  
They were part of the Miraculous, a group bestowed with great power, destined to fight the evil that lurked across the Earth, feeding on innocent souls.   
  
But, their powers could only be activated when they found their other half.   
  
Ladybug was lucky. After Master Fu discovered her, she only had to wait a year before Chat Noir joined.   
  
She’d spent that year training on her own, learning the secrets of her job, and watching others unite with their partners and race off into the world, shielding it from darkness most civilians weren’t even aware of.  
  
She’d wanted that. She’d wanted to run out into battle and defend the helpless around her. She’d wanted to do her part to assure no one else would have to go through the fear and devastation she’d once gone through.   
  
She’d known other Miraculous who’d had to wait years for their partners. They’d fight and study for hours every day, only to be disappointed each time the other pairs were called to battle and they were forced to stay home with her and Fu.   
  
She’d known others whose partners never came. Some died before the magic called for them. Some chose to turn their backs on their destiny, leaving their partners alone and unable to help for the rest of their lives.   
  
She’d been terrified of both scenarios before Chat Noir waltzed into her life.   
  
His existence gave her the chance to do what she could feel in her bones she was always destined to.   
  
And he was  _ good _ . Though she’d had a head start in training, he picked up fighting techniques quickly and easily. He was limber and strong, and together they’d had no trouble taking out small demons wreaking havoc on Paris.    
  
Chat Noir was funny and kind, and she’d collapsed onto her bed after their first difficult battle and thanked the gods she didn’t even believe in for giving her such a competent and trustworthy partner.   
  
He’d easily become her best friend.   
  
But over time, her feelings had changed. They’d morphed and turned into longing and admiration and desire.   
  
She hated what she had become. A cliché, a trope, wanting what she couldn’t have.   
  
She couldn’t even remember ever having a  _ crush _  before this point, but of course her mind chose now to feel any kind of romantic emotions.   
  
So, she couldn’t be alone around him. She couldn’t trust herself. Partners were never together romantically, and for good reason. They were halves of a whole. They couldn’t exist as Miraculous without the other. Losing him would mean losing the only sense of purpose she’d ever felt in her life.   
  
She couldn’t risk that for a  _ crush _ . She was furious her mind would even attempt such thoughts.   
  
But he looked at her with wide, innocent eyes, shoulders drooping from a mix of exhaustion and genuine sadness that she knew he’d later try to play off as a joke.   
  
Sometimes, she felt like she wanted him to be happy more than anything else in the entire world. And that scared the shit out of her.   
  
Air escaped her mouth in a soft sigh immediately stolen by the wind.   
  
“You can stay up here,” she said quietly. “I’ll do a few more sweeps around the neighborhood to pass the time, and then we’ll meet at the corner store near Fu’s. That way we can walk in together and he’ll just think we spent longer patrolling than usual.”   
  
“Thank you,” Chat said leaning back once again to stare straight up at the sky.   
  
She tried to smile at him. “What are partners for?”   
  
She leaped away, unaware of the way his eyes immediately focused on her as soon as she turned her back to him, and how he gazed at her retreating form until she disappeared into the night.


	2. Gift

She felt tightness behind her eyes and blinked furiously to prevent any tears from falling. Her thumbnail dug into her right thigh and she desperately tried to cling to that sensation.  
  
Here she was, a badass young woman capable of ripping off a demon’s head without a second thought, reduced to tears by a simple, kind act.   
  
Chat Noir looked at her hopefully, arm outstretched with a small package wrapped in newspaper and shoelace for a bow.   
  
Why was he doing this? Why was he making it _so hard_ for her?   
  
“What’s this?” she asked quietly, proud of herself for not letting her voice quaver.

“It’s a birthday present.” He ducked his head bashfully. “Well, not a _birthday_ present, per se since we don’t know each other’s birthdays, but,” he scratched the back of his head “well, it’s just a gift, I guess.”   
  
“Just a gift,” she repeated, trying to convince herself it meant nothing.   
  
“I don’t know your birthday, but I _do_ know our anniversary.”   
  
“Our anniversary?” her voice broke.   
  
He didn’t seem to notice. “Are you just going to repeat everything I say?” he nudged her with his elbow playfully. “Our anniversary, the day I said yes to this life and we became partners.”   
  
She had to look away from his earnest expression.   
  
“This is….very kind of you, Chat.” She tried to smile. “But completely unnecessary. And I didn’t even get anything for you. And if anything this is a _more_ important day for you.”   
  
“Your presence in my life is more of a present than I deserve,” he joked and her heart ached for it to be true.   
  
She wanted to tell him that he deserved the world. But she knew better than to give into ridiculous urges that were bound to strain their relationship as partners.   
  
“Seriously,” he took a step towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder “it’s just a small gift. It’s nothing. If you really wanted, I could regift it and give it to Master Fu instead.” He wrinkled his nose. “Although I’m not sure he’d get it.”   
  
She bit her lip. He was so thoughtful, she wanted to pull her hair out. In all her twenty years, she couldn’t ever remember meeting someone as thoughtful as he was.  
  
She snatched the gift from his hand and fell onto the couch, trying to appear more lighthearted and relaxed than she felt.   
  
“No no no! This is mine! I won’t let you hand it off to someone else,” she said cheekily.   
  
She carefully peeled back the tape and unraveled the newspaper around it, concentrating heavily on her task to avoid blushing when he sat down beside her, close enough for their thighs to touch.   
  
“That’s not how you open a present,” Chat admonished. “You rip the wrapping off! Like an animal.” He mimed the motion exaggeratedly.   
  
She laughed at him, knocking into his shoulder with her own.   
  
“Some of us have a little bit more class than that, alley cat.”   
  
“You clearly don’t know me at all.” He straightened his torso and pretended to tighten an invisible tie around his neck. “I’m so obviously an Aristocat.”   
  
Ladybug suppressed a giggle, finally freeing the small box from its newspaper prison.   
  
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I know for a fact you have no real income, so I hope to god you didn’t get me anything expensive. And by expensive I mean more than like 3€.”   
  
“I promise, it’s nothing like that,” he assured her.   
  
She continued to side-eye him as she folded the newspaper into a neat, tiny square on her lap. “Okay….” her voice trailed off.   
  
As her fingers traced the edge of the tiny box, she noticed how he wiggled in his seat, leaning towards her a little more, like an excited child. It was so endearing, she nearly blushed herself into oblivion.   
  
He nudged her ribs with his elbow softly. “Well? Don’t just stare at it. You’re making me self-conscious.”   
  
She lifted the box to her face and examined it even more in depth. She furrowed her brow, brought a finger to tap against her lip, and made exaggerated “hmm” and “oh” sounds.   
  
“Now you’re just being mean.” He shuffled himself even closer to her side and leaned his head on her shoulder while wrapping a hand around her forearm. “Please open it, Ladybug?” he begged softly.   
  
She immediately regretted teasing him. It just wasn’t fair how easily he could melt her heart.   
  
Ladybug finally lifted the lid from the box, fingers reverently pulling back the tissue paper to reveal a collection of orange and blue beads held together on a red string. A bracelet, she realized.   
  
“So, hear me out,” he said, lifting his hands to his chest, palms out in a gesture of surrender. “Do you remember a few weeks ago when we had some trouble with that smoke demon? And after the battle, you talked to Master Fu in the kitchen?”   
  
She nodded hesitantly.   
  
“Well--and I know I wasn’t supposed to be listening, and I swear I’m sorry about that, I didn’t mean to--”   
  
Ladybug put a hand on his elbow and motioned for him to continue.   
  
“You said that you thought it was ironic that your powers come from the ladybug essence, yet you always feel so unlucky.” He swallowed and she found her eyes were glued to the way his Adam’s apple bobbled. “I just...I wanted you to feel lucky for once.”   
  
She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came to her.   
  
Chat continued, cupping his hand around hers as it held the gift. “I’ve always felt sort of lucky.”   
  
She shook her head, in part to disagree with him, in part to shake the fog out of her mind. “No one gets into this life because of luck, Chat. I may not know what exactly you’ve been through, but no one becomes Miraculous without something terrible happening to them.”   
  
“Just because we’ve all faced tragedy, doesn’t mean we can’t experience luck too,” he argued. “And I’ve felt lucky. And there’s a reason for that,” he pointed to the bracelet “I’ve had a lucky charm.”   
  
She picked up the bracelet and held it in front of her face, tracing the beads with her eyes.   
  
“And now I want you to have it.”   
  
“You’re giving me your lucky charm?” She looked at him incredulously, blue eyes blown wide.   
  
When he nodded at her, she jumped out of her seat.   
  
“I can’t take this, Chat! This is one of the only things you have to remember your old life!”   
  
“Our old lives don’t matter anymore, Ladybug,” he responded gently “There’s nothing to remember.”   
  
“But you don’t really believe that.” She paced in front of him. “I _know_ you don’t really believe that,” she muttered under her breath. She stopped suddenly and turned on her heel sharply to face him. “Why are you doing this?”   
  
He shrugged, gazing at her face intently. “Because I want to.”   
  
Her eyes bore into his, searching for any sign he wasn’t completely sincere. She found none.   
  
“Look,” he stood up and pulled the hand that clutched the lucky charm to his chest. “You’re right. I know this is who I am now, but I’ll never really leave my past behind me. I can’t. And this lucky charm is important to me, it always will be, but it’s done its job. It’s served its purpose for me, I couldn’t expect it to make me any luckier.” He pushed the hand holding the charm to her chest. “And now, I want you to have it.”   
  
She wished her mind wasn’t already latching onto his words, spinning a tale of romance and happily-ever-afters that she had to shut down.   
  
“Chat...I…” she took a deep breath to steady herself. “Thank you. Really, thank you so much.” She took one of his hands in her empty one and squeezed it. “I love it.”   
  
“I’m glad.” He stepped forward and pressed a light kiss overtop her bangs. “Happy anniversary, partner.”   
  
_Partner._   
  
The word was a warning. A reminder of their reality. A reminder of what could never be.   
  
A fake smile overtook her lips.   
  
“Happy anniversary.”


	3. Playful

Ladybug blocked a kick to her side deftly, responding with a punch near his jaw which he easily sidestepped. He grabbed her arm, using her momentum to her disadvantage, but left his stomach open enough for Ladybug to strike.  
  
He absorbed the blow and readjusted his stance, nodding at her to let her know he was okay to continue.  
  
She was still close to him, bodies almost entangled together, but becoming a bit desperate to put some space between them again. She didn’t need to know how he smelled when they’d been sparring for hours, or the line that appeared as his bicep bulged when he clenched his fist.  
  
Even before she’d developed any kind of romantic feelings for him, she’d been honest enough with herself to recognize that he was attractive. Pretty insanely attractive. She’d never asked, but she knew he must have been on a pretty extensive exercise regimen with at least basic training in fighting techniques before he’d joined. And his sweet smile and expressive eyes softened her hard exterior in a way she’d never prepared herself for.  
  
She twisted her leg around his back and pushed him, knocking him off balance. He’d anticipated her move--of course he had, they knew each other well enough to never really catch the other by surprise anymore-- and rocked his bodyweight forward, countering the change enough to stay standing.  
  
He raised his knee to her side, which she caught with one hand and delivered a blow with the other, leaving her middle vulnerable. He took the opportunity to jab at her, but with alarming speed she twisted her body and caught him, holding him close once again.  
  
Their panting was loud enough to drown out any other sounds in Fu’s living room, and the sweat coating their arms and hands made it difficult to hold onto each other for long.  
  
“Alright, this is ridiculous,” a voice startled them enough to break apart. “You two have been sparring for way too long, and neither of you are improving.”  
  
“Beg to differ, Shelly,” Chat grumbled, wiping his hands on his legs.  
  
Carapace rolled his eyes. “You’re too evenly matched at this point. Fu’s been having you fight together for so long, there’s no mystery in it anymore. You know exactly what the other is going to do, it’s just a matter of how precise your movements are.”  
  
Ladybug dabbed at the sweat from her brow with her shirt. “That’s still really valuable.”  
  
“I’m not saying it isn’t. Just that you might find value in sparring with someone else for a change.”  
  
Chat Noir dropped to the floor unceremoniously and spread out his limbs like a starfish. Ladybug nudged his side with her foot as she stepped over him, making her way to their water bottles.  
  
“I’m listening,” she said, squeezing the bottle to squirt water into her mouth like she wouldn’t be able to suck it through the cap fast enough.  
  
“You should take a little time to rest and then fight against one of us. We need to break up the pairs a little bit.”  
  
“Whom do you suggest?”  
  
He lifted his hat from his head and raked his fingers through his curls, shooting her a look when she opened her mouth to speak. He’d been growing his hair out recently and Ladybug liked to tease that he could be a model.  
  
“One of you against me and the other against Lapin.”  
  
Ladybug cocked her hip. “Not Rena? Doesn’t she normally like to get a bunch of sparring in on Saturdays?”  
  
He winced. “Yeah, I’m sure she’d like that, but she and her partner are still a bit weak from the incident a few days ago. Fu and I are trying to keep them away from any action.”  
  
“I’m sure she loves that. Getting bossed around by her boyfriend is definitely her style.”  
  
“She may have had a few...choice words to share with me.”  
  
Ladybug tapped his arm in a friendly gesture. “I’m sure she understands your concern.”  
  
He hung his head. “She gets it, but that doesn’t make her okay with it.”  
  
“That’s fair,” Chat joined and Ladybug jolted when he rested his hand on her shoulder. “What?” he questioned, misinterpreting her sudden action. “Like you wouldn’t be the same way with me if you were hurt?”  
  
She shrugged off his arm. “That’s obviously different. You and I are partners. If one of us was hurt, we’d both be hurt. Rena and Carapace are dating--”  
  
“Engaged,” Carapace jumped in.  
  
“--engaged,” Ladybug parroted without thinking. “Wait, engaged? Since when!”  
  
He scratched his shoulder awkwardly. “After she got hurt, it just really hit me how unstable our lives are,” he made eye contact with both of them fleetingly before looking off in an uncomfortable manner. “I don’t know, I just couldn’t bear the thought of not being with her anyway I could.”  
  
Ladybug was torn between thinking his dedication was romantic and sweet, or a symbol of how fucked up and hopeless their lives were.  
  
Chat wrapped his arms around his friend in a tight embrace. “Congrats, man! That’s fantastic, you two are amazing together.”  
  
“Thanks,” Carapace squeezed him tightly before releasing him. “I know it’s kinda crazy,” he gestured wildly around them, encompassing the whole room. “People like us don’t usually get married. But it just feels right.”  
  
“Did you talk about any plans?” Ladybug asked, already trying to think of ways to help.  
  
He laughed, “No, not at all. What’s there really to plan? None of us exist, so we’re basically just gonna have Fu pronounce us married and call it a day.”  
  
“Oh,” she hadn’t thought of what their hiding meant for things like this.  
  
“It’s good though!” he was quick to add. “I’ll take whatever I can get with her, you know?”  
  
Chat hit him lightly in the arm. “You’re such a romantic.”  
  
“Like you’re one to talk.” Carapace turned to Ladybug. “Have you heard this guy talk about how he wants to sweep this girl of his dreams off her feet?  I swear, I’ve caught him practicing confessing his feelings in our bathroom mirror like fifteen times!”  
  
Her brain short-circuited. He’d never mentioned being interested in anyone before.  
  
Carapace shrugged. “He’s hopeless.”  
  
Chat’s eyes were wide and unblinking. “Heh, yeah.” He grabbed Carapace’s arm tightly. “That’s me. Hopeless.” He pulled him towards the door sharply. “Can I talk to you? In the kitchen?”  
  
Carapace tripped over his feet. “Uhh--”  
  
“Great, thanks.” He stomped out the room, dragging his friend behind him.  
  
She looked after them, mind whirling, trying her damndest not to think too hard about what was just said. She wasn’t sure if she could handle Chat being interested in anyone. But mostly, she felt guilty. She’d always halted any talk of their previous relationships and current romantic interests for her own selfish reasons. But he was her partner, and she hated the idea that her limited-sharing policy made him feel like he couldn’t trust her with his emotions.  
  
She straightened her shoulders and raised her head up, deciding from that moment forward she would do her best to make him feel as comfortable sharing his emotions with her as possible. They were partners, practically the most important people in each other’s lives, and they should be open and honest with each other. He shouldn’t feel like he couldn’t talk to her. He was her best friend, and she knew he felt the same about her. She needed to start acting like it.  
  
Resolve strengthened, she marched her way to kitchen door, intent on letting Chat know he could tell her anything, but was stopped when the bell over the front door rang, grabbing her attention.  
  
“Hello?” an almost bored sounding voice called.  
  
When no one responded, Ladybug cursed under her breath and made her way to the front to greet them.  
  
“Anyone here?” they continued, voice progressively getting louder. “Hel--”  
  
“Can I help you?” Ladybug cut her off.  
  
The petite girl leaned on the doorframe, not committing to being in or out of the building. She looked Ladybug up and down with a calculating expression.  
  
“I don’t know, Spots, can you?”  
  
Ladybug clenched her teeth.  
  
“I’m here to see Fu, you know him?”  
  
Ladybug smiled sweetly at her. “To what is this in reference?”  
  
The girl straightened. “Tell him I embraced and I’m here to find out what to do next.”  
  
“What are you doing?” Ladybug whisper yelled, fast-walking to the door and pulling the girl in roughly, slamming the door shut behind her. “You can’t just say stuff like that where anyone can hear you.”  
  
“Sorry,” but the roll of her eyes made Ladybug sigh heavily enough to puff the bangs off her face.  
  
“He’s in the back. Follow me.”  
  
They walked through the living room and kitchen, Chat Noir and Carapace jumping and becoming suspiciously quiet as soon as they opened the door.  
  
“This is Chat Noir,” Ladybug gestured “Carapace.”  
  
They waved, and Chat cleared his throat enough to stutter a greeting.  
  
“Hey, I’m Ali--,”  
  
“No, you’re not,” Ladybug cut her off. “If you’ve already embraced, then you’re going to need to pick a new name.”  
  
The other girl shrugged, but muttered an okay, and Ladybug continued to the staircase.  
  
“His room’s up there to the left and he’ll tell you anything you need to know. I’m Ladybug,” she offered her hand to shake. “If you think of any questions after Master Fu has gone to bed, most of us can probably answer them, so don’t hesitate to ask.”  
  
And with that, Ladybug turned on her heel and left for the kitchen.  
  
“Whoa, bug, what’s up?” Chat asked when she barged in again.  
  
“Nothing,” she shrugged. He walked to her side and leaned against the counter. “Seriously, it’s nothing,” she promised. “I’m just already nervous about her.”  
  
The loud crunch as Carapace bit into an apple dragged her attention to him. “Why? She seems fine to me.”  
  
“Oh no, I think she’ll be great, actually. I’m just worried for her.” At the blank glances she continued “She’s...spirited. Spunky. I think she’ll make a great fighter, but I can already tell that waiting for her partner’s going to kill her. She strikes me as the kind of girl who wants to jump straight into the action.”  
  
Chat frowned. “I guess I don’t fully understand what that’s like.”  
  
She patted his face comfortingly.  
  
Carapace dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “It’s really not that bad.”  
  
“For some people,” Ladybug agreed. “But for others, it’s really difficult. We’ve lost people because they couldn’t wait to be an active part of this.”  
  
“Fu’s gotten better at controlling people,” he pointed out.  
  
“True. But that isn’t to say it still isn’t difficult for them to hold themselves back. Watching your friends go off to battle--some of them not coming back--is hard. For some more than others.”  
  
Chat placed a hand on her back and she drew strength from the simple touch.  
  
“But this is too heavy of a topic,” she shook her head, shivering from the feeling of her ponytail skirting along her neck. “We should go out and do something tonight.”  
  
Carapace tossed his core into the trash. “Like what?”  
  
“Tag?” she suggested. “Over the rooftops at midnight? Standard rules; the floor is lava, and only your own weapons, nothing from any of the others.”  
  
He grinned, “I’m in.”  
  
Chat groaned dramatically. “I guess I have to do it, since you two will tear up all of Paris unsupervised.”  
  
Ladybug hip-checked him. “Don’t even pretend you don’t love this as much as we do.”  
  
He winked and shot her a secritive smile. “You got me there, bug.”  
  
“You should invite the new girl,” Carapace added. “And I’ll tell Lapin. I know she’ll never play, but I like keeping my partner in the loop.”  
  
“Rena’s going to be so upset she missed this,” Chat commented. “But it’s good to have some people stay here in case Fu wakes up and questions where we all are.”  
  
“I feel like sneaking around is just a recipe for disaster,” Carapace shivered “But whatever happens, we can handle it.”  
  
“One partnered pair,” she pointed to herself and Chat “A half set,” she nodded at Carapace “And potentially a newly-embraced-partnerless-badass,” she gestured behind her in the direction of the staircase “we’ll be fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you enjoyed this and I would be ecstatic if you shared any of your theories with me :)


	4. Favor

Ladybug laughed loudly as she swung over Chat Noir’s head, missing his hand as he attempted to catapult himself high enough to touch her.   
  
“Missed me, kitty!” she teased, turning around to face him while she gloated.   
  
“Maybe I just like the chase,” he winked at her.   
  
She shrugged, still smiling widely, enjoying the wind whipping past them and the darkness that surrounded them. “That’s good news for me, ‘cause I’m faster than you.”   
  
“Now, you know that’s not true, bug. I thought you hated liars?”   
  
“I think your mouth’s writing checks your feet can’t cash, minou.” She giggled when he lunged at her, dancing out of the way artfully and tossing her yo-yo to wrap around a street light far beneath them.   
  
“Purrhaps it’s time I prove myself,” he called, trying to keep up with her changing directions.   
  
“Perhaps it’s time you set your sights on an easier target,” she called back, swooping past Carapace’s hiding spot to take the attention off of herself.   
  
“You suck,” Carapace yelled to Ladybug, joined by the newest member of their tag team.   
  
“Can you only win by hiding behind the competition, Spots?” she asked dryly, picking at one of the green, snake scale patterned pieces that covered her arms.   
  
“All’s fair in love and war, Viper!” Ladybug shouted, running off along a low building.   
  
Once she was out of sight, she hopped onto a small, flat-topped building, lying in between two larger ones so she was mostly hidden, biding her time.   
  
Despite her talk, she knew she wasn’t as fast as her partner. She needed to let him tire himself out a little before rejoining the game, because she knew he would be after her the moment he saw her again.    
  
It was no secret that Ladybug and Chat were competitive. When one of them had been tagged, it wasn’t enough that they tried to pass it along to someone else, they were determined to tag each other.   
  
She wasn’t sure how long she could remain unseen, especially with Chat’s incredible night vision, but she knew Carapace was tricksy enough to keep him on his toes, and she was pleased with how easily Viper had slipped into her magic. Chat wouldn’t be able to resist going after them, Ladybug was sure.   
  
She opened up her yo-yo, bringing up the tracking feature. A black dot blinked on the screen, moving slowly farther away from her location, indicating Chat’s position. She suppressed a laugh, happy that he was still distracted and not intent on finding her yet.   
  
Just as she moved to drop her weapon back against her side, a fireball shot past her face, nearly singing her ponytail.   
  
“Shit shit  _ shitshitshitshit _ ,” she muttered, throwing her yo-yo to the nearest building and swinging in the direction of her partner as quickly as possible.   
  
Once she was within sight, he bounded over to her giddily, not yet picking up the shift in mood. “Are you  _ trying _ to lose, my lady?”   
  
She placed her hands on her hips, stance rigid and ready to fight on a moment’s notice. “There’s a fire demon down there. I think he’s behind the brick building on the corner of the street.”   
  
He immediately sobered. “How do you want to do this?”   
  
“We need to get Viper out of here now.” She pulled out her yo-yo, twisting it apart and hitting a few buttons to video chat Carapace. “She can’t be around for this.”   
  
He picked up with a dopey grin on his face, mouth already open with what Ladybug was sure would have been an ill-advised quip, but she cut him off before he could say anything.   
  
“Carapace, we have a fire demon by us. Get Viper out of here. Drag her to Fu’s if you have to. And call Lapin. I don’t know how much force we’re going to need for this.”   
  
He nodded and jumped into action and Ladybug’s screen went black.   
  
Chat took a step towards her. “Now what?”   
  
“Now we distract the demon ‘til Carapace gets back.”   
  
“My specialty.” He shot himself off of the building with his staff in the direction she’d indicated, Ladybug hot on his heels.   
  
It didn’t take long to find the demon, fire-types weren’t known for their discretion.   
  
It billowed in the breeze, feeding off the oxygen, flames licking the air. Almost anything that got caught in its sphere of influence turned to ash, lighting up brightly before disappearing into the night as a puff of smoke.   
  
Ladybug could feel her chest constrict at the sight, forcefully reminded of images she desperately wished she could forget.   
  
She pressed on, darting out of the way as fireballs were shot in her direction, mostly dissipating before they could reach her.   
  
Chat Noir was still in front of her, prepared to charge at the demon, staff at the ready.   
  
She looped to his side, taking a defensive stance.   
  
“You good?” he asked her, eyes never straying from the beast in front of them.   
  
She didn’t even have time to reply before it attacked much harder than before.   
  
Fireballs were thrown out mercilessly, holding their shape now that she was closer to the demon.   
  
They both spun away, leaping and rolling and jumping behind other objects just avoid the fire’s touch.   
  
Each time the fire consumed something new, Ladybug’s vision swam. She couldn’t look past the flames, letting them spin a tail of destruction and death in front of her, deafened by screams of ghosts roaring in her head.   
  
She kept envisioning her family in those flames, couldn’t shake the feeling of desperation and hopelessness, unable to see the fire raging in front of her as anything other than the fire that raged in her past.   
  
A fireball caught on the edge of her shoulder, bringing her back to the present with heat and pain.   
  
She couldn’t do this. She was not capable of doing this.   
  
Ladybug ran away from her spot, charging at Chat Noir and grabbing him around the waist, hauling them onto the nearest building.   
  
She started speaking before their feet had even touched the ground.   
  
“I have to go.”   
  
Chat looked startled. “What? You can’t go!”  
  
She hated to have to do this. Hated to have to  _ beg _ for someone else to do her job. “Please, Chat. Please. I can’t do this. I know I should be able to, but  _ I can’t _ .” She stepped away from him, afraid to show the raw emotion she knew was plastered across her face. “I need you. I need you to do this for me.”   
  
“Of course.” She looked up at his face and suddenly he was right in front of her, taking up her entire field of vision, all that she could see. “Of course I’ll do this for you.” He grabbed her hands and squeezed. “I’d do anything for you.”   
  
Even as she exhaled, she felt her breath catch in her throat. She didn’t want him to see her watery eyes, but she was captured in his gaze and determined to let him see how grateful she was. “Thank you.” She slid her hands up his forearms to his elbows and pulled him slightly closer to his body so their chests were touching. “I can’t ever tell you how much this means to me.”   
  
He smiled at her softly, encouragingly, as if he wanted to ask her to try, and she leaped off the building, lashing out her yo-yo and getting herself as far away as possible. 

**Author's Note:**

> Visit me on tumblr for first updates and incoherent ramblings :)
> 
> [jattendschaton.tumblr.com](https://jattendschaton.tumblr.com/)


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